GALLERIES

The town of Brad, close to Aleppo, is famous for its church founded by St. Maron in 398 AD. Today, close to the ruins of the ancient shrine where the saint was buried, a new church stands to welcome the pilgrims coming from all around the world.

Dec 27 - A bride grieves after the cancellation of her wedding that was to take place in the occupied Golan as she was not permitted to cross the border to live with the groom. Weddings that take place between Syrians living in the Golan to people in Syria are coordinated with the help of the International Committee of Red Cross at the Kuneitra crossing point. The last successful wedding took place in 2008.

An old coal train used to run during weekends from Hijaz station in Damascus to the West Lebanese mountains stopping at Rabbwe, Hame, Zabadani, Bloudan and finally Serghaya, a town which boarders Lebanon. The train operated until the 90s and was mainly used by the families for daily trips into the countryside of Damascus. The service has halted on this route due to aging facilities.